Alert resident helps LBPD avert auto burglaries

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, at approximately 4am, officers from the Long Beach Police Department were dispatched to the area of 2nd Street and Glendora Avenue in response to a call reporting suspicious activity around parked vehicles.
Officers responded to the location where the caller stated that three young men were in the area peering into parked vehicles and trying car door handles. Officers located a vehicle leaving the area, conducted a traffic stop, and questioned the two young men inside. At the same time and a few blocks away, additional officers located the three suspects the caller described.
The three suspects were located in the area of Bayshore Avenue and Appian Way, questioned, arrested for loitering on the beach and taken into custody. The continuing investigation revealed that the two groups of suspects were working together in a pre-planned crime spree of that area, targeting vehicles that may contain valuables.
The arrested have been identified as: 18-year-old Tyler Rexeisen of Bellflower; 21-year-old Matthew Boudreaux of Cypress; and 20-year-old Michael Schoepf of Long Beach. Since the arrests, detectives have been able to locate two vehicles that members of the group attempted to break into and have added the charge of attempted auto burglary.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are asking residents in Belmont Shore and the surrounding neighborhoods to come forward if they have been the victim of an unreported auto burglary.
Residents are also reminded to be vigilant in preventing crime by removing property from their vehicles. One of the vehicles the suspects targeted that night may have been chosen because of a charger being left in the vehicle, as this can imply there are electronic devices inside. Electronics such as GPS systems, mp3 players, and phones are commonly stolen items and temptations to burglars.
For additional information on auto burglary prevention, visit the Long Beach Police Department website at longbeach.gov/police and click on “News Room.” Those who have any information regarding these burglaries or who think they may have been a victim should contact Long Beach Police Burglary Detective Jose Yarruhs at (562) 570-5559. Anonymous tips can be sent via text or email to tipsoft.com.